The mother of a 19-year-old accused of killing two people and himself at a Maryland mall told reporters that her son was a `` gentle , sweet kid . ''

In the conversation , recorded Sunday by a reporter for radio station WNEW , the woman says Darion Aguilar never had a gun before and was a gentle teenager .

`` If you were to go into his room you would see what a gentle , sweet kid he was , '' she says .

She says she can not understand what happened and that she does n't think her 19-year-old son knew the victims .

She adds that she feels for the parents of 21-year-old Brianna Benlolo and 25-year-old Tyler Johnson , who were shot dead with a shotgun on Saturday morning at the busy Columbia mall .

ABC also reported the mother 's comments .

The woman 's revelations come as police look into a journal written by Aguilar . The diary contains typical teenage writings about acne and rejection by girls , but nothing to indicate he was depressed , a family friend said Monday .

Family friend Ellis Cropper , who is serving as a spokesman for Aguilar 's mother , told CNN on Monday that police reviewed the journal after the mother called police to file a missing person report .

Cropper said Aguilar 's mother , with whom he was close , does n't think he was dating anyone .

Police have said only that Aguilar 's journal expressed `` general unhappiness with his life . ''

According to police , Aguilar took a taxi to The Mall in Columbia on Saturday morning and then fired as many as nine shots from a Mossberg 500 shotgun into a skateboard apparel shop , killing Benlolo and Johnson before fatally shooting himself .

On Saturday , a federal official briefed on the shooting told CNN that preliminary information suggested the gunman aimed only at the two victims , perhaps indicating it was an isolated situation and not a wider shooting spree .

Police have offered no motive for the shooting .

`` I know there 's a lot of interest in the motive for this , and I have as much interest in that as anybody , '' Howard County Police Chief Bill McMahon said Sunday .

Aguilar was an avid skateboarder , Cropper said . As of now that 's the only known link between him and the skate shop .

Prelude to the shooting

According to Cropper , here 's what Aguilar 's mother says happened before the shooting on Saturday :

Aguilar was scheduled to report to work for a 5:30 a.m. shift at Dunkin' Donuts , a job he had held since about September .

His mother offered to give him a ride to work , but he said he would get there on his own . Several hours later , she went to check on him , and the store manager said Aguilar had never showed up , according to Cropper .

The mother then called police to file a missing person report . When officers arrived at her home , she used a cell phone locating service to trace her son 's phone .

It showed he was at the mall .

According to Cropper , police -- who were aware of the mall shooting -- then asked if Aguilar kept a journal .

Police later returned to the home and seized the journal , along with other potential evidence including computers and documents , according to McMahon , the police chief .

McMahon said Aguilar purchased the 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun in December and also had two homemade bombs in his backpack .

The victims

Benlolo was an assistant manager at Zumiez . She had worked there since November 2012 , according to her Facebook page .

Her friend Evelyn McDonald said Benlolo , the mother of a small boy , was `` just full of energy . ''

`` She was so nice and just an amazing artist and just an amazing person inside and out , '' McDonald told CNN .

`` She loved her son . She loved being a mother , '' McDonald said .

Johnson had worked at the store for about three months , according to his Facebook page .

Five people went to the hospital for treatment after the shooting . All were treated and released .

Four suffered injuries in the chaos after the shooting . The other injured victim suffered a gunshot wound to the foot . Police said the woman was n't in Zumiez ; rather , she was on the first floor when she was hit .

The mall reopened Monday afternoon , but the Zumiez store will be closed indefinitely , according to a sign on the boarded up storefront .

Memorial sites will be set up outside the mall and in the food court , officials said .

It started out as a routine day in busy mall

Man with ` crude ' explosives , ammo kills 2 at mall , then self

Gun shop owner recalls conversations with Aguilar

The co-owner of the United Gun Shop in Rockville confirmed Aguilar purchased a shotgun on December 10 for about $ 430 in cash .

Cory Brown , the co-owner , said Aguilar walked in with a friend and after spending about 30 minutes in the store , he was approved to purchase the Mossberg 500 .

Brown said Aguilar seemed to know what he wanted .

`` He came in and asked for something he can use for home defense . A platform he can start with and grow into . He asked a lot of good questions , '' Brown said .

Aguilar showed him a learners permit to drive and a change of address card . He filled out the ATF form and was approved within minutes .

Aguilar also purchased two boxes of ammo for a total of 32 shotgun shells , which each contained about 50 small pellets inside .

Brown said Aguilar came back just before Christmas with the same friend and purchased another box of shotgun shells .

He said he wanted to practice more with it , telling the gun shop owner , `` there 's more kick than I thought . ''

He purchased another box of shotgun shells for $ 16 .

University shootings earlier last week

The shooting was the latest instance of gun violence or threats in ordinary places across the country .

A student was shot dead Friday afternoon at South Carolina State University , prompting a manhunt for several suspects that extended beyond the school 's Orangeburg campus .

On Wednesday , the University of Oklahoma in Norman briefly shut down after a report of a possible shooting that apparently turned out to be a false alarm , the university 's president said .

On Tuesday , a gunman shot and killed another student inside Purdue University 's electrical engineering building . Police said Cody Cousins , 23 , an engineering student , killed Andrew Boldt , 21 , of West Bend , Wisconsin . Cousins was charged with murder .

Last Monday , a student was shot and critically injured near a gym at Widener University near Philadelphia . Police were looking for a suspect .

The simple thing your mall can do to protect you

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Teen 's mother tells reporters she does n't think Darion Aguilar knew his victims

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Gunman 's journal covers typical teen topics like acne and rejection by girls , friend says

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Mall reopens Monday afternoon ; store where shooting occurred remains closed

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Darion Aguilar legally bought the 12-gauge shotgun in December , police say